Lifting device for motor vehicles



Filed Oct. 18, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l F'lG.1

IN ErvToR'.

ROBERT HENRI G-ALLAI July 17, 1956 R. H. GALLAY LIFTING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 18, 1951 INVENTOR:

ROBERT HENRI 'G-ALLAY nited States Paten r 2,754,953 nature DEVICE Eon MOTOR VEHICLES Robert Henri Gallay, Geneva, Switzerland Application October-'18, 1951, Serial No. 251,853

2' Claims. ((31. 187-'-8.56)

This invention relates to lifting apparatuses for motor vehicles. I t I Conventional lifting or, elevator apparatuses of this kind are generally driven by either hydraulic or electric power. The basic principle of this invention consists in using the power of the vehicle motor itself for operating the lifting apparatus.

The invention has thus for its principal object to provide a lift which is operated by the power of themotor vehicle to lie lifted, thus making use of power which is generally proportional to the weight of the vehicle.

The invention has utility in lifting motor cars for example, as necessitated in garages or service stations.

The invention is also useful for instance, in lifting loaded motor trucks during the construction of buildings in order to deliver materials at the desired level.

The construction of the lifts or elevators for motor vehicles in accordance with this invention is relatively inexpensive and the same can be installed quite easily anywhere, being especially applicable where there is no source of power for operating a lift of this character.

The accompanying drawings represent, by way of example, a lift construction embodying the invention.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatical perspective view of a lift for motor cars.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view on enlarged scale of the same, and

Fig. 3 shows a detail of construction.

According to the drawing, the lift comprises a parallelipipedic frame formed of horizontal longitudinal beams and cross bars 1 rigidly connecting four uprights 1 firmly anchored in the floor. In the said frame there is mounted a lifting platform consisting of two longitudinal rails 2, 2 rigidly connected together by cross bars 3. Each rail carries a pair of rollers 4, 4 and 5, 5 respectively. The rollers of each pair are mechanically connected to each other by a chain 6, 7, and the roller 4' is further connected to the roller 5' of the opposite group by means of a cross shaft 8 including a clutch 9 which is shown in detail in Fig. 3.

The rail 2 carries two bearings 10, 10' in which a longitudinally extending shaft is rotatably supported. The shaft 15 carries at each end a cable drum 13, 14 respectively, and in front of the roller 4' a worm gear 12 meshing with a worm 11 integral with the end of the cross shaft 3 which projects from the roller 4'.

The other rail 2' carries the second pair of rollers 5, 5 and at each end, in alignment with the respectively cable drums 13, 14, a grooved pulley 16, 16' respectively.

The lifting platform is supported for vertical movement by four cables 17, 17', 20, 21. The cables 17, 17 are attached to the top of the adjacent pillars 1' and coiled on the drums 13, 14. The cables 20, 21 are attached to the top of the other pillars 1 and after passing over the pulleys 16, 16' they are coiled on the drums 13, 14, which are formed with a spiral groove to receive the wound cables.

A small platform 24 easily accessible by means of a 2,754,933 i atented July 17, 1956 ice 2 ladder 25 is pier/idea at the top bf the ffaiii to allow the driver of the vehicle to leave his place when the lifting platform is at top of its travel.

The operation of the lift is as follows'i When a motor vehicle is driven on the lifting platform, its driving wheels come to rest between the rollers 4 and 4, 5 and 5 which act as rotary supports and stops. The other pair ofwheels of the vehicle rest ,either directly on the rails 2, 2' or on a carriage slidingly' mounted on these rails. The driver then shifts the motor transmission into low gear and drives the wheels of the vehicle as shown diagrammatically iiiFig'. 1, the same rotating in the direction of the arrow F If a motor vehicle with forward drive is used, rotation in the direction of the arrow F is obtained by changing over to reverse speed. Rotation of the driving wheels of the vehicle actuate the friction rollers 4, 4 and 5, s eaming them to rotate in the direction of the arrow F the rollers 4 and 5" being connected to one another by the cross shaft 8 name clutch 9 Chains6 and 7, which connect the rollers 4 and 5 to the rollers 4 and 5 serve to prevent any slipping rollers 4 and 5 respectto the rollers 4', 5'. However, it has been found in practice that these chains can be omitted if desired. The worm 11, which is dependent upbn the" roller 4 drives the worm gear 12; the rotation being in the direction shown by the arrow F The gear 12 secured to the longitudinal shaft 15 rotates the cable drums 13, 14 in the same direction thus causing the cables 17, 17', 20, 21 to wind themselves up thereon. In this manner the whole lifting platform is raised together with the motor vehicle so long as the wheels of the vehicle frictionally actuate the rollers 4, 4 and 5, 5. When the lift has raised the vehicle to the desired height or level, the clutch 9 will be automatically disengaged and the lift stops.

A stop 27, which is adjustable in height, is secured to an upper cross bar of the lift frame. This stop 27 is designed to operate a lever 32 fulcrumed at 33. The inner end 33' of the lever, which is fork-shaped, engages a clutch member 36 slidingly mounted on the cross shaft 8 to which the roller 4' is rigidly secured. The clutch member 36 is formed with a cone 36' intended to engage under the action of a spring 39 a counter-cone 37 formed at the inner end of the roller 5'.

During the whole travel of the lifting platform carrying the motor vehicle, the clutch 36, 37 remains in coupling position thus connecting the two pairs of rollers 4, 4' and 5, 5 which are driven concurrently by the motor driven wheels of the vehicle.

As soon as the lifting platform reaches the predetermined lcvel, the lever 32 becomes operated by the stop 27 and rotated in the direction of the arrow F (see Fig. 3). The fork 33' recalls the cone 36' from the counter-cone 37 against the action of the spring 38 in the direction of the arrow F and thus de-clutches the shaft 8 from roller 5.

The pair of rollers 4, 4', which control the cable drums 13 and 14 by means of the worm 11 when disconnected from the pair of rollers 5, 5 allow the rollers 5, 5 to rotate freely provided the motor of the vehicle is connected to the driving wheels of the vehicle. Owing to the action of the differential of the vehicle, the only driving Wheel which frictionally engages the rollers 5, 5 continues to rotate freely while the other wheel engaging the rollers 4, 4' is stopped together with these rollers. In this way, as soon as the clutch 9 has been disconnected by co-action of the lever 32 with the stop 27 the lifting platform is stopped, even if the motor of the vehicle continues to operate and is drivingly connected to the wheels of the vehicle.

Lowering of the platform is obtained by shifting the motor of the vehicle to cause the drive shaft to turn in the reverse direction as when operating the vehicle to cause it to back up.

For front drive motor vehicles, the front wheels will be arranged to engage the two pairs of rollers and lifting of the platform will be effected by shifting the vehicle motor to cause the driven shaft to drive the wheels of the vehicle in the direction as required to cause raising or lowering of the platform of the lift.

What I claim is:

1. In a lift for motor vehicles which is operable by the vehicle to be raised or lowered, a fixed frame, a lifting platform mounted on said frame, two spaced apart pairs of friction rollers rotatably mounted on said platform, each of said pairs being independently operable by one driving wheel of the vehicle supported thereon, only one of said pairs of rollers being mechanically connected to means for raising and lowering the platform, a mechanical connection between said two pairs of rollers, a clutch inserted in said mechanical connection, vertically adjustable means carried by the frame to operate said clutch and thereby interrupt the mechanical connection between said two pairs of friction rollers when the platform reachs to a predetermined level, whereby the one pair of rollers which is mechanically connected to the lifting means is automatically stopped while the other pair of rollers continues to rotate on no load owing to the action of the differential of said vehicle.

2. A lift for a power operated vehicle to be raised or lowered, comprising in combination with a frame and a platform of two pairs of spaced apart friction rollers rotatably mounted on the platform, each of said pairs of rollers being operable independently by one driving wheel of the vehicle supported thereon, only one of said pairs of rollers being mechanically connected to means for raising and lowering the platform, a cross shaft connecting one roller of one pair to one roller of the other pair, a clutch inserted in said cross shaft, a fork-shaped lever engaging the spring-loaded sliding member of said clutch, and a vertically adjustable stop carried by the frame adapted to operate said lever and thereby disconnect said clutch when the platform reaches to a predetermined level, whereby the one pair of rollers which is mechanically connected to the lifting means is automatically stopped while the other pair of rollers continues to run on no load owing to the action of the differential of the vehicle, without the motor thereof being stopped.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,150,628 Mizer Mar. 18, 1939 2,242,891 Light May 20, 1941 2,517,318 Iefiers Aug. 1, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 615,436 France Oct. 11, 1926 682,411 France Feb. 11, 1930 442,905 Great Britain Feb. 18, 1936 

